Recently I’ve been doing some work for a charity tackling elements of child poverty in the north of England. It has been a fascinating piece of work so far as up until now they have focused on delivering a direct response to the challenges that they faced, but now the trustees are keen that they begin to campaign for change based on their own operational experience.
It has been exciting to begin a conversation with them as we think about the potential asks, both locally and nationally, together with potential targets and messengers for the campaign.
They are also looking at some point to expand their capacity, which made me think about what skills and experience should you be looking for when you think about recruiting somebody to help you campaign? I’ll be really interested to know your thoughts too on this question.
Over the years I have formed a view that I think there are two critical elements to look for:
Firstly, I think you should look for a proven ability to make things happen, either in a paid or voluntary role, and that the individual can show that their actions had a direct impact on getting the wheels moving on a campaign and building momentum. I would be looking to see how they developed a core message, developed routes for influence with potential messengers for the message, thought about influence potential on the target, made time to think about opposing arguments, and began to build momentum based on their future story for the campaign. I’d also be interested to explore how they coped with setbacks to their campaign. With practical examples from their experience, this would show me that they had an ability to make things happen.
And secondly, I would think about the interview test, where I would like to see them set out their campaign strategy based on the organisation’s own priority problem and solution.
I would be really interested to see how they framed the campaign to build momentum. I would also be interested to see how they could confidently assert their future story for the campaign based on a robust assessment of the external environment. But I’d also be interested to see whether they would be prepared to show some degree of humility to accept and respond to any challenges. I would be keen to see whether they could be confident, but also humble, in developing a strategy, and excite the interview panel with what might be possible.
So those are the things that I would be looking for, but am I right? Do let me know what you think!
To find out more about Jonathan’s work, do visit his website: https://jonathanelliscampaigns.com